Assertion (A): Ashoka annexed Kalinga to the Mauryan Empire. Reason (R): Kalinga controlled the land and sea routes to South India.

The correct answer is B because both statements are individually true, but the reason provided does not explain the assertion.

Assertion A is true because Ashoka famously conquered Kalinga in the eighth year of his reign, which was a turning point in his life.

Reason R is also true because Kalinga occupied a strategic geographic position that controlled both land and sea trade routes leading to South India and Southeast Asia.

However, historical records, specifically Ashoka’s 13th Rock Edict, do not explicitly state that he annexed Kalinga specifically to control these trade routes. While economic and strategic factors were likely underlying motives, the edict focuses on the conquest itself and the subsequent remorse he felt due to the massive loss of life. Since the causal link between the strategic location and the motive for annexation is an inference rather than a stated historical fact in this context, R is not considered the direct explanation for A.